We’re 82-year-old Greatest Pals Who Traveled Across the World in 80 Days — Here is What It Was Like

For Journey + Leisure’s column Touring As, we’re speaking to vacationers about what it’s prefer to discover the world via their distinctive views. We chatted with Sandy Hazelip and Ellie Hamby, two 82-year-old single nice grandmothers, who journey across the globe along with an infectious, constructive spirit. Their adventures can be documented in a Penguin Random Home e-book known as “Completely happy Place,” out subsequent yr.

Sandy Hazelip: I grew up in Fort Price, Texas, in a really modest household and acquired married after I was virtually 20 years outdated to a beautiful particular person. Our son developed diabetes when he was a child, so I turned fascinated by studying about medication. Once I was 34 years outdated, I instructed my husband I needed to go to varsity to change into a physician. From day one, he was my cheerleader. I began medical faculty after I was 39 and opened my follow in 1985. 

Then, my husband died in 1999. However earlier than he turned ailing, he talked about we must always take our grandchildren on mission journeys. Six months after he handed, a younger doctor instructed me he was going to be at a medical missions workshop the next weekend in Dallas. I went and met Ellie Hamby and her husband, who have been the administrators of the Zambia Medical Mission. I began occurring the mission and Ellie and I turned good associates.

Ellie Hamby: I grew up as a farm lady in Oklahoma and lived in a really small city till I completed highschool. I acquired married after which went off to varsity. My husband was a professor at Abilene Christian College. We wound up going to Zambia and lived there for six years within the Nineteen Eighties. Once we got here again to the college, we have been approached about directing a medical mission. 

Neither one in all us have been medical [professionals], however I’ve been recognized to prepare every part all of my life. We began organizing a medical mission to Zambia within the Nineties. It is one of many world’s largest medical missions, and I am nonetheless directing it. We see 2,000 to three,000 sufferers a day over six days every week on the clinic. Sandy’s been one of many medical docs, going each different yr for the final 20-something years.

About 5 years after Sandy’s husband handed away, my husband handed away in a tennis accident. Sandy known as me a few month after. I used to be nonetheless adjusting to his sudden demise. She stated, ‘I am shifting my medical follow to Abilene and I don’t wish to go away my house in Eastland, so I want a mattress a few nights every week. When you would give me a mattress, I will take you out to eat.’

That was 19 years in the past. Besides after we’re on journeys, she’s typically at my home one or two nights every week. We stayed up late, drank espresso, and began realizing we love to do issues alike. Our friendship developed out of two horrible tragedies, however it was a gorgeous factor as a result of tragedy hits all of us. That does not imply your life is over. We each had phenomenal husbands. We beloved them dearly. However we did develop this nice friendship. 

Our outlook on life is analogous: We’re very comfortable folks, we imagine within the goodness of humanity, and we’re not scared to attempt new issues. 

I had already carried out fairly a little bit of touring, having been to about 115 international locations.

About three years after Sandy began staying at my home, we took our first journey collectively in 2008. We went on the Trans-Siberian Railway — not the vacationer prepare. We went on the second-class folks’s prepare all the way in which. 

Hazelip: Our third journey collectively was in 2011 — we have been in Syria when the struggle broke out.

Hamby: We have been sleeping in a Bedouin tent in Palmyra within the Syrian desert. We had already been all via Syria on public buses — two 72-year-old girls with backpacks.

The issue was that there have been no vacationers in Palmyra and we have been headed to Jordan, however we hadn’t paid the resort and there have been no ATMs within the metropolis, nor did they take bank cards. Mohammad on the resort organized every part for us — his mom cooked us a beautiful meal that night time and he organized for us to go along with a driver to Damascus about 5 hours away.

We acquired there and the entire plaza was lined with the navy holding AK-47s. Our driver went as much as them and should have stated these two outdated girls must get money out of an ATM. They put down their weapons. We prayed there could be cash — and there was. Then, Mohammad instructed us to get in a white unmarked automotive on the facet of the street to take us to Jordan — and it did. So, we already had some wild experiences.

Hazelip: We’re sufficiently old to recollect the film and e-book, “Across the World in 80 Days,” so two or three years previous to turning 80, I stated to Ellie, ‘Why don’t we go all over the world in 80 days after we’re 80?’

Hamby: My first response was, ‘What?!’ About 30 seconds later, ‘Why not?’ We instructed our household and associates. I believe most of them felt like it might by no means occur. It’s a fairly daunting factor, and we did not understand simply how daunting it was till we accomplished it and acquired all this recognition.

We used the Oneworld Alliance Around the World fare, which is nice. It’s important to go to 6 continents and it offers you 16 flight segments. You circumnavigate the world in a single path. That made it helpful and saved us cash. 

Hazelip: You can also make your personal itinerary — simply observe their guidelines. Once we acquired to a rustic and needed to see extra issues, we’d use our airline miles and fly to these different locations. Often, we had to purchase a ticket. Our common resort room for the entire 80 days was $29 an individual per night time — and that often included breakfast.

Hamby: Our greatest discount was $13.50 on the Royal Pyramids Inn in Cairo. We needed to enter via an alley, however after we acquired to the rooftop, there have been the pyramids. After which the lights present at night time — we watched it totally free.

Hazelip: When different girls say they might like to make a journey with us, the very first thing I do is take a look at their palms. If they’ve well-manicured fingernails, they most likely do not wish to journey with us.

Hamby: We do not have a journey agent. We e-book each resort ourselves; we e-book our flights, and when we now have an issue, we now have to resolve it as a result of there is no one we are able to name. And we haven’t any males carrying our baggage.

Hazelip: We had initially deliberate to go on our Across the World journey after we have been 80, however COVID shut it down, so we went after we have been 81, and our theme was…

Hazelip and Hamby: Around the globe in 80 days at 81 and nonetheless on the run.

Hamby: We began in Antarctica. It is probably the most awe-inspiring locations to set foot on on this planet. To face there and do a 360 round you — what you see is simply past perception. The immenseness of the Antarctic, the ice mountains, the icebergs, the water, penguins in every single place — it is unbelievable.

Hazelip: Then, we have been within the Arctic Circle. We had a driver in Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland. Sooner or later he stated, ‘Would you love to do a husky sleigh trip at present?’ I believed it was going to be some tiny trip like on the Texas truthful, so we stated certain.

Hamby: He had a complete pack of huskies. We went for 4 miles via the forest, turning sharp corners and holding on for expensive life. And it was minus 4 levels.

Hazelip: We acquired again and stated, ‘Wow, that was enjoyable!’ One other day, he requested if we needed to see the reindeer farm. Seems, it was his household’s farm the place he grew up, and we acquired to feed the reindeer. 

Hamby: Sandy and I do not usually plan. Issues simply sort of occur. We actually depend on locals to prepare issues for us. In Bali, for instance, we acquired a driver for $50 for eight hours. Once we noticed one thing we needed to do, we might do it. We noticed this signal that stated, ‘Completely happy Swing,’ so he turned again. They have been essentially the most enjoyable swings over rice paddies.

Hazelip: On the finish, we stated we didn’t go on a trip — folks get drained once they go on trip. We went on an journey and each journey simply ramped us up for the following one. 

Ellie discovered a saying that I completely love: ‘The world is a e-book and he who doesn’t journey solely reads one web page.’

One of many world wonders we had deliberate to see on the journey was Machu Picchu, however the political unrest shut it down. Ellie and I are everlasting optimists. We have been certain by the point we acquired there, it might be over. Three days earlier than our flight was scheduled to Peru, we needed to make the choice to cancel that. 

So, this yr, we at the moment are in South America with Machu Picchu being the final place we cease. We’re having a beautiful time and our new theme is…

Hazelip and Hamby: We’re 82 and we’re not via.

Hamby: We’re up in La Paz, Bolivia, at greater than 12,000 ft. We climbed within the Valley of the Moon the opposite day and a complete group of Bolivians applauded after we acquired all the way in which to the highest.

On this journey, we fished for piranhas within the Amazon. I caught three, however Sandy caught the largest one. We ate it that night time in piranha stew, which was fairly good. We additionally went alligator searching — and caught two. I went swimming with pink dolphins within the Amazon. We’re not afraid to enterprise out.

Hazelip: We’re not afraid to have enjoyable.

Hamby: Additionally, to your info, between Sandy and I, we now have 4 synthetic knees. These issues occur to all of us as we become older, and also you’ve started working laborious, do bodily remedy, and keep constructive.

Hazelip: Ellie’s household is accustomed to her wild travels. My household is making an attempt to get used to it. I promise I’ll ship them textual content messages each day. I allow them to know we’re secure.

Hamby: In our planning, there are some issues our children needn’t know. They did not must know we have been going piranha fishing, for instance. Why would we inform them and have them freak out? They’ll discover out later once they see footage of the piranha we caught.

We’ll hold touring so long as we are able to — and we are able to give you sayings. We don’t have one for 83 and 84, however for 85, it will likely be “We’re 85 and nonetheless alive.”

We hope to have the ability to journey so long as our well being holds out. To this point, we’re fantastic, however we all know we’re getting older and there is going to be a time we won’t. We do not let age decide what we wish to do. We’re fearless vacationers, we do not like nightlife, and we’re not searching for males. We’re simply two single girls having an journey.

Hazelip: We’ve got one great journey after one other each single day.

Hamby: The language of South America has been a bit trickier than most, however Sandy and I say there’s one common language, and that is a smile. We use that over and again and again.